God Votes No: Voices From the Religious Left for Marriage Equality

My documentary is online! “God Votes No” highlights the religious left and the fight for marriage equality in Minnesota. I spent nearly a year interviewing faith leaders across a spectrum of beliefs, along with scholars, politicians and everyday people—all discussing how their views of religious texts and traditions support marriage among any two consenting adults. The title, “God Votes No,” stems from the effort to defeat a proposal on the November 2012 ballot to define marriage in the Minnesota state constitution as the exclusive domain of one man and one woman. “God Votes No” features interviews with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, practicing Mormons Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of the Duluth band Low, and author Jay Michaelson, among many others.

The running time is 49 minutes. Please watch ands share with your circle—especially with those who are on the fence—before the vote in November.

The Marriage Discriminate: Conversations from the Minnesota State Fair

In response to “The Marriage Minute” videos produced by the other side, I produced “The Marriage Discriminate” — interviews on video with people who want to ban gay marriage — from the Minnesota State Fair. Prepare for a little shock and awe.

Catholics Sing Their Support: Making a Music Video

Catholics for Marriage Equality commissioned a music video around a hymn composed by local musician and LGBT activist David Lohman. Faith Forward was there, on a late-April afternoon, to document the day.

Here’s the video we produced …

Behind the Music: Catholics Sing Their Support

►

… and here’s the final music video, which Catholics for Marriage Equality premiered in a Wednesday evening rally at Loring Park.

Hot off the Presses: Marriage is So Gay

Todd Thyberg (aka Angel Bomb Design) designed the limited-edition T-shirts and posters we’ll be distributing soon to our Kickstarter Heroes and Heroines. Here, we visit Todd’s letterpress studio to watch him roll out the posters one by one.

Onamia, Minn.: Honors for Progressive Faith Leaders

Our forays into rural Minnesota brought Faith Forward MN to Onamia, Minn. There, on Aug. 1, the Mille Lacs Human Rights Commission honored the United Methodist Church and retired Catholic priest Dave Gallus for their work. While there for the ceremony, Faith Forward interviewed retired Methodist pastor Allen Clark Harris and current pastor Kris Johnson, who also leads Bethany Lutheran Church in Onamia. These separate videos feature segments of interviews with Harris and Johnson and Gallus’ acceptance speech.

Onamia: Pastor Kris Johnson

►

Onamia: Retired Pastor Allen Clark Harris

►

Onamia: Award to Father Dave Gallus

►

St. Joseph, MN: Catholics Supportive of Same-Sex Couples

Catholicism is branded onto St. Joseph, Minn.—right down to silhouette of the Church of St. Joseph on the town’s water tower. The annual Parish Festival in St. Joseph, on July 4, is a billboard for church causes, with a parade featuring, among other groups, a “pro-life kids’ club.” But Faith Forward Minnesota didn’t have to search long to meet Catholics supportive of marriage equality. In this video, two sisters raised in the Catholic church in St. Joseph, say living out a Catholic life means following Jesus’ actions—not the Biblical words written by others.

Twin Cities Pride Festival: Interviews of Faith

Through the labyrinth of booths at the Twin Cities Pride Festival, Faith Forward MN wove its way on Sunday to a row of faith-based organizations. There, we found a stream of interesting stories and perspectives of progressive faith. Here, you’ll meet a Catholic nun supporting marriage equality as a calling of faith, a member from a young church formed on the grounds of social justice, a woman raised as an atheist who is now Presbyterian and seeking a seminary degree and a gay, ordained Methodist minister barred by the United Methodist Church from leading a congregation of his own.

Pride: Sister of St. Joseph interview

►

Pride: Gay Methodist Minister interview

►

Pride: Spirit of Truth

►

Pride: Presbyterian seminary student interview

►

Mormons, married parents and rockers: Sparhawk and Parker of Low Take the High Road on Marriage Equality

Sparhawk and Parker: Low Takes High Road on Marriage Equality

►

Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker are practicing Mormons who attend services with their children whenever they’re not on the road with their band Low. Faith Forward Minnesota captured their views on marriage equality and the apparent conflicts with Mormon teachings before a fundraising concert, June 9, at Pioneers and Soldiers Cemetery in Minneapolis. At the end of the video, they discuss the presidential candidacy of Mitt Romney.

Thank You for Carrying Faith Forward Forward

Wow! … Whew! … and THANK YOU!

This is our final tally.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peiken/faith-forward-how-would-god-vote

With these funds, I’ll spend much of the summer taking this project into eight rural Minnesota communities. The goal is interviewing and posting interviews with progressive faith leaders in some of our most conservative communities, to help spark and influence conversations there about the anti-marriage amendment.

Here’s a complete list of those who supported our Kickstarter campaign.

A Kickstarter cruiser from Todd Thyberg

 

This is where Todd Thyberg is going with the limited-edition, letterpress poster he’s designing for the FaithForward Kickstarter campaign. There’s some text and trimmings to come, and you can have one with support of just $75.

We have just three days to raise another $2,500—every little bit helps and counts. Please go beyond a “like” and make an investment today, to help Faith Forward make a splash in rural Minnesota.

Here’s the link to our Kickstarter fundraising page.

Thank you!

- matt